1150+ arrested in SoCal immigration fugitive sweeps

From this:

U.S. immigration authorities said Monday they arrested more than 1,150 people in California in a three-week sweep, the state's largest of its type since since 2003.

The sweep targeted immigration violators including those who have ignored deportation orders or returned to the U.S. illegally after being deported...

[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice] said of the 1,157 immigrants arrested statewide, 595 had outstanding deportation orders and 346 had prior criminal convictions. Those arrested were from 34 countries, she said.

Expect the usual suspects to whine in 3, 2, 1...

UPDATE: As it turns out, this was part of ICE's annual Operation Community Sweep where they go after gangs. Cynthia Dizikes of the Los Angeles Times offers straightforward coverage here. Solomon Moore of the New York Times offers straightforward coverage here. I'm going to guess that the vast majority of their readers won't notice what's missing from both. If the raids were of, say, a sweatshop both sources would wave about sympathetic "victims" of the raid in order to support sweatshops and illegal activity. The LAT and the NYT might want to do that in cases like this, but if so they probably realize that would be going too far. (The LAT article does quote New Jersey Union City police department chief Charles Everett as saying something sanctuary city-like).

From the NYT article: "[a GA state official] said the government had provided invaluable assistance in an investigation of eight killings, from 2000 to 2006 in Cedartown, Ga., that were related to a methamphetamine-running operation". That town has a population of barely 10,000 and appears to be about 70 miles from Atlanta.

Also see the CIS report "Taking Back the Streets: ICE and Local Law Enforcement Target Immigrant Gangs" (link).

And, Julie Myers says Houston and Phoenix are trying block even this type of immigration enforcement.

Immigration2008a · Mon, 09/29/2008 - 13:34 · · Importance: 1